More than 99 million cigarettes, worth around £44 million in unpaid taxes, were seized at the Port of Hull on 1 June 2022.

A Border Force tobacco detection dog helped uncover the illegal cigarettes which were packed inside eight shipping containers and described as birchwood logs shipped through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on import documents.

A 57-year-old man from South Wales was arrested in July in connection with the seizure and was released on bail. Another man from the Birmingham area has been interviewed under caution. Investigations are ongoing.

Anthony Usher, deputy director of the fraud investigation service at HMRC, said: “This is the single largest seizure of cigarettes ever made at a UK port – and our streets would have been flooded with them had they not been discovered.

“We are determined to stamp out tobacco fraud by working closely with partners in the UK and internationally to bring those responsible to justice.

“Cheap cigarettes come at a cost as they often fund organised crime and other illegal activity that causes real harm to our communities, such as drugs, guns and human trafficking.

“We urge anyone with information about cigarette fraud to contact HMRC online. Search ‘Report Fraud HMRC’ on GOV.UK and complete our online form.”